Tech and Science Daily | The Standard REPLAY: Dr. John Krystal - Why ketamine can solve a mental health epidemic | Brave New World
Nov 14, 2025
Dr. John Krystal is a Professor at Yale School of Medicine, recognized for his pioneering research on ketamine's rapid effects on depression. He discusses the pharmacology of ketamine, explaining its transformative potential in mental health care. Listeners learn how ketamine influences glutamate and NMDA receptors, leading to rapid antidepressant responses. Dr. Krystal also shares its historical use as a battlefield anesthetic and its surprising effectiveness compared to traditional antidepressants, shedding light on a new frontier in psychiatric treatment.
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Glutamate Is The Brain's Main Highway
- Glutamate is the brain's main information highway and drives most excitatory communication between neurons.
- Ketamine acts on glutamate (NMDA) receptors, revealing mechanisms beyond classic serotonin/dopamine models.
Dose Determines Ketamine's Effects
- Ketamine blocks NMDA-type glutamate receptors, producing effects that scale with dose from mild euphoria to dissociation and anesthesia.
- These dose-dependent subjective effects reflect ketamine's action on the same glutamate system.
Ketamine's Battlefield Origins
- Ketamine was developed as a safer, shorter-acting derivative of phencyclidine and proved valuable as a battlefield and emergency anesthetic.
- Its advantages included stable blood pressure, less respiratory suppression, and good pain control in austere settings.